National Post: Porter Now Wants Even Longer Runway as Airline Calls for 400 Metre Extension

posted by NationBuilder Support on September 04, 2013

National Post Calls NoJetsTO "Prominent Opponent" in Article on Runway Extension Push
September 4, 2013
TORONTO — A contentious plan to land jets at the Toronto island airport got more complicated Tuesday, with Porter Airlines saying a jet-friendly runway may need to be 64 metres longer than anticipated.
Although the initial plan was to extend the runway by 168 metres on both sides, it may need to be extended into Lake Ontario by a total of 400 metres, the Toronto-based airline said Tuesday.
In a statement, Porter Airlines assured Lake Ontario boaters that the extra runway would “not change the enjoyment of Lake Ontario by Torontonians.”
“The buoy that boats navigate around when passing through the Western Gap does not move, so there is no material change to access,” said Porter Airlines president Robert Deluce in the statement.
In fact, it would enhance navigation by “providing a breakwater for wave protection and reducing sediment build-up in the area,” it reads.
NoJetsTO, a prominent opponent of the plan, called the announcement “another bombshell in [Porter Airlines'] quest to ruin the waterfront with jet aircraft” and said the expansion would turn “even more of Lake Ontario into tarmac.”
In April, Porter Airlines announced its plan to outfit Billy Bishop Airport for jet aircraft, arguing that the downtown terminal could offer flights to Florida, Vancouver and Los Angeles by as early as 2016.
Source: National Post article